Mom is Being Posthumously Honored for her Knitting

Mom's 5th Mother's Day in Heaven...

She no doubt is smiling proudly down from heaven because of the many views of her fabulous knitting!

Mom wrote in a letter from September 17, 1986 (my Maternal Grandma's B'day...) that she'd asked the lady from the yarn shop, for placement of her knitted bedspread at the Hiltho Exhibition.

Hiltho Exhibition is every 4 years since 1967, and is the biggest in the South of The Netherlands.
Mom had tried so hard for the Hiltho '86 exhibition from 26 September till 1 October... click link; then click through.
It just didn't work out for having her work displayed at the Hiltho... to have a booth there was too expensive for the yarn store!  But the store owner told her she should bring it for the coming winter, to have it as window display instead.

That's what happened and here my Mom is proudly standing in front of the shop's window with her beautiful work!
I'd forgotten that I too had knitted several squares, before immigrating to the USA...
Mom mentioned that in her letter!

This is Mom's letter, neatly handwritten as so many that I received over the years!
Mom was very happy with the offer to have it as window display instead.
She wrote that my sister–in–law Elly, brother Harry's wife, very dedicated was helping her getting all the knitting finished. Elly also had taken the squares apart and rejoined them in a different way, as she'd seen from one of the patients at the nursing home where she worked.

It was quite emotional for making these bedspread photos on February 21, 2014, before going to the hospital again for visiting Mom during her dialysis.
Deep inside I KNEW that this would also be the very last time I would see her alive...
My gut feeling proved to be right.

Less than a year later, I would be up all night and do Face Time with my youngest brother, who sat together with my 2nd brother, at Mom's bedside. Seeing, hearing Mom and talking to her for the very last time.
It was then when I did compose a beginning for a FAREWELL, or EULOGY, to be read...

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Going Home...

Daddy, brothers and sisters, sisters-in-law and partner, nephews and nieces, family and friends...

We are together in warmth and gratitude to honor our Mother.

A dear wife, dedicated Mother for all of us. Her entire life she has given love with an enormous big heart; without asking much for herself.

This last trip of 17 days away from D'n Afhang, was a difficult route for her but she has accomplished it with pride. She wanted to go home with all her heart, for finally putting her tired head to rest close to Daddy, in her own beloved place, where 7 of her 8 children were born.

Eight children, of which I am the second and our eldest sister is now finally again with Mom!

She almost made it for being married to Daddy 66 years; in love and sorrow.

Working hard her entire life, and yet in her way always trying to pamper us.

She was able to cook delicious tomato soup from own cultivation, with yummy fried onions. Her spare ribs with home-made tomato paste and fried onions were also a favorite.

Baking for the entire family she did also with much love and she herself was fond of ginger cake... 

She also loved nougat, that I always brought her back from the fun-fair!

She loved to knit and crochet and in the photo she proudly poses in front of the window where her large knitted bedspreads hung.

Together with Daddy she made trips to Germany, and also to Paris and even four times to Georgia in the USA. Proudly she always said she had two daughters in America; one in great America.

On her bike, she often went to little America on Tuesday’s, on market day, with a gift for her first grandchild. 

Meanwhile Mom had passed away and that stopped my writing...

Never could finish it...

*
In Dutch:

Naar Huis...

Papa, broers en zussen, schoonzussen en partner, neefjes en nichtjes, vrienden...

We zijn bij elkaar in warmte en dankbaarheid ter ere van ons Moeke.

Een lieve echtgenote, toegewijde Moeke voor ons allemaal. Ze heeft met een enorm groot hart haar hele leven liefde gegeven; zonder veel voor zichzelf te vragen.

Deze laatste reis van 17 dagen weg van d'n Afhang was een moeilijke route voor haar maar ze heeft het met fierheid volbracht. Ze wilde met heel haar hart naar huis om daar op haar eigen geliefde plek, waar 7 van haar 8 kindjes geboren werden, haar moede hoofd eindelijk te rusten leggen dicht bij Papa. 

Acht kinderen, waarvan ik de tweede ben en onze oudste zus is nu eindelijk ook weer bij Moeke!

Bijna heeft ze het gered om met Papa 66 jaar getrouwd te zijn; door lief en leed.

Hard gewerkt haar hele leven en toch op haar manier altijd geprobeerd om ons te verwennen.

Ze kon lekkere tomatensoep koken van eigen teelt, met heerlijke gebakken uien. Ook haar ribjes met tomatenpuree en gebakken uien waren een lievelingskostje.

Bakken voor het hele gezin deed ze ook met veel liefde en zelf was ze dol op gemberkoek... 

Ze lustte ook zo graag nougat die ik haar altijd meebracht van de kermis!

Breien en haken deed ze graag en met trots staat ze op de foto voor de etalage waar haar grote gebreide bedsprei hing.

Met Papa samen maakte ze reisjes naar Duitsland en ook naar Parijs en zelfs vier keer naar Georgia in de USA. Trots zei ze altijd dat ze twéé dochters in America had; een in groot America.

Op de fiets ging ze vaak op dinsdag, markt dag, naar klein America om haar eerste kleinkind weer iets toe te stoppen. 

Ondertussen is Moeke gestorven en kon ik niet meer verder schrijven...
Helaas heb ik het nooit afgekregen...

*

This year, on my Angel Sister's heavenly Birthday, I noticed a tremendous increase in views for Mom's hand knitted bedspread, on my Pinterest.

January 11, 2019... Mom's Bedspread was at the TOP!

Hard to believe these figures, yet it was there and on my blog, almost every day, Mom's picture was in the sideline as one of the favorite posts!

Love seeing this photo...

Mom ranks right there in my TOP blog posts and that in only five years!

In seven years she ranks 3rd! 

16,309 views...

It made me so happy and feeling oh so proud of her, for being Posthumously Honored for her Knitting!!!

*

Happy Mother's Day!

Related link:
{Mom's Hand Knitted Bedspread as Window Display} | previous post by me
{HAPPY Mom on her 90th Birthday - THANKS TO ALL OF YOU} | previous post by me, when I took the bedspread photos...

SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN

There are many blessings but we both are so grateful for being still alive and even more so, for Pieter being with me, regardless his heart condition.

May God grant him more time to be with me!

Just shortly before his Birthday, my Pieter accomplished something incredible.
We both climbed one of the World's Coolest Observation Decks: Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Husband Pieter: View from the Summit.
At 6,643 feet or 2,025 meter, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest point.
It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi.
Only North Carolina's Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet or 2,037 meter) rises higher.
We were so lucky with a clear and sunny day.
Even if it is very windy at the top...
And yes, that is snow that you see in the video!

Relive 'Clingmans Dome Great Smoky Mountains'

       

Clingmans Dome, View from the Dome click to read more.

CLINGMANS DOME High Point of the Great Smoky Mountains click for informative video

Grateful for having this under our belt! ❤️❤️

1982 Sinden Award for Pieter at The Hotel Majestic, Harrogate, England | like for his professional Award he earned another one...

1959 ISMS Congress in Denmark with Conny Riber Rasmussen

The ISMS - International Society for Mushroom Science got founded by husband Pieter's boss, Pieter J. Bels.
It was only in 1949 that these CONGRESSES came to life.
More about that below this first photo from 1959.

This photo is from the South of Sweden.

Pieter went to mushroom farm Fanmarps near Halmstad in South Sweden.
From the ISMS Congress, an excursion to Sweden was made. 
Those are actually MUSHROOMS grown outdoors!
This is a photo from husband Pieter's 1964 Dutch book: 'Moderne Champignonteelt'
Such methods are no longer being done!

Pieter J. Bels wrote in his lecture given at the 30th anniversary:
Let us start in the year 1949. Before that year mushroom growers were, in general, very secretive. There was practically no national and international contact. There were just a handful of mushroom researchers.
But then traveling started. Dr. Ware went to France; Lambert and Sinden to England; Mrs. Hauser to the U.S.A. and England and the Bels' to Switzerland, Belgium, England and Scandinavia.
The time seemed ripe for more international contact...

This is another part of that lecture:
The Third Congress was organized for 1956 in PARIS, by Sarazin, Heim and Dekeirel. Here we had simultaneous translation for the first time.
In 1957 "Mushroom Science 3" came out.
In 1956 we received an invitation from Hugary for the Congress in 1959.
Before we could send an answer, Russian tanks were in Budapest, actually on November 4, 1956.
As a young girl, in Kindergarten, I recall that we were praying hard for the people in Hungary!!! There was FEAR
So Hungary was out of the question. Conny Riber Rasmussen from DENMARK came up and helped us out. The 1959 Congress, the Fourth, was held in COPENHAGEN. Practically alone, with his enormous energy, Conny Riber Rasmussen organized this 4th Congress.
Prof. Paludan, now 89 years old and Dr. Treschow were President and Vice-President.
Conny's Congress was a success. We made an excursion to Sweden...
As seen in the FIRST picture, the reason for that excursion were the mushrooms grown in the soil, outdoors!
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The mushroom industry sure has come a long way since then!
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Sadly though, Hungary never made it back into hosting such an ISMS Congress...
They regained their freedom from Communism only 30 years later.
That is when they finally got rid of Socialism...
Politics and wars always affect the little people in a big way!
*
Husband Pieter became good friends with Conny and he has stayed with him for a week at the University Institute in Copenhagen. It was such an energetic scientist!

Here, Pieter is on the ferry from Hamburg, on his way to Denmark again in October of 1964 with some of his students on excursion to Conny Riber Rasmussen.
This was together with his ex–wife.

Younger brother from A. Veeken to the left, one of Pieter's Dutch students and Pieter to the right...

Under the Danish Flag...

Once ashore, they continued to travel in their cars and then a delicious Danish Smorgasbord awaited them!

Guest at Conny Riber Rasmussen's Research Station in Copenhagen, Denmark.
On the left is Conny Riber Rasmussen and Pieter is seated, 2nd from left and his ex is sitting next to him.
In 1964 they also visited the following mushroom farms:
 Chr. Tiedeman in Taatstrup.
Verner Rasmussen in Glostrup.
 J.F. Hansen in Herlev.
Erik Fladeland-Nielsen in Søborg.
E. Grevenkop-Carstenskiold in St. Frederikslund.
From Denmark they continued to F. Dohme in Hameln, Germany to visit his mushroom farm.
Also the Max Planck Instituut in Hamburg-Volksdorf where they met with Prof. Von Sengbusch.

Fond memories of Pieter's three trips to Denmark and his encounters during ISMS Congresses with Conny Riber Rasmussen.
He was quite famous at the time for reaching high yields in mushroom production by filling 2 trays with full grown compost and then layering the compost on top of each other.
At the time an average of 7 kg/m2 he managed to reach 10 kg/m2.

Fond Danish memories!

Related link:

Soviets Crush Hungarian Revolt (1956) | A Day That Shook the World 2 min. video showing the reason that the ISMS Congress had to be in Kopenhagen